Centennial college is Toronto's No. 1 community college. It offers lots of full time and part time programs including diploma, degree programs & also offers co-operative programs. Students of Co-operative programs can gain practical field experience with their college studies.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Those who are interested in attending auto mechanic courses that will lead to a career as a Truck and Coach Technician should consider attending Centennial College’s Truck and Coach Technician (Co-op Apprenticeship), which combines on-the-job experience and in-class lessons. Interested parties must meet a few requirements to apply. First and foremost, students must possess an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or General Educational Development (GED) or equivalent. In addition, they must have the English 12 C or U or equivalent or skills assessment. They may also be required to present a resume and questionnaire that describes their experience and aptitude. Successful applicants must be eligible to work in Ontario and have an Ontario driver’s license. Lastly, applicants of these auto mechanic courses must be employed in the automotive service technician trade.

The Truck and Coach Technician program is focused on giving students the flexibility they need to succeed. As such, although the program traditionally takes two years to complete, students may study using other formats to obtain their Ontario College Diploma. The traditional format that will see students complete their Truck and Coach Technician’s auto mechanic courses is called day-release. Students who choose this format spend one day of the five-day working week on campus. They do this for 32 weeks through the school year, experiencing between a six and eight hour school day. Another option to completing the Truck and Coach Technician program completion is block release. Students who opt for this format attend schooling three times for three advancing phases.

Whichever format they choose, students study in modern, up-to-date lab with practical teaching aids and are guided by experienced faculty members through the auto mechanic courses. In addition to labs, the campus at which the Truck and Coach Technician program is housed, Ashtonbee Campus, is the biggest transportation training centre in the province. As such, this campus contains tools of the trade as well as real vehicles on which students may practice their applied mechanics, vehicle dynamics as well as component design and repair skills as they apply to the apprentceship curriculum.

There are also various levels of auto mechanic courses such as Engine Systems, Brake Systems, Electrical Systems, Fuel Systems, Truck and Coach Logistics, Preventative Maintenance, and more. Each level introduces more advanced theories and techniques. In addition, students are taught the business side of the Truck and Coach Technician field with topics such as organizational behaviour, trade practices and fixed operations management. The supplementary courses are exclusive to Centennial prepare the graduate with advanced knowledge in the areas of applied electrical/electronics and vehicular tracking/communication systems.

Once students grasp a variety of concepts, they work as registered apprentices at industry locations. This allows them the opportunity to apply what they learned on campus. They then return to Centennial College to complete the “in-school” requirements.

Graduates, aside from becoming Truck Technicians, may go on to have careers as service writers/ advisors, service managers, college teachers/ industry teachers and truck or coach company representatives.